When Dan Jones arrived at Notts County in the summer, the one thing Kevin Nolan promised of his new full-back was athleticism and speed.

Nobody can deny that the former Port Vale defender has offered both qualities in what has been an impressive opening to his career at Meadow Lane so far.

Jones was in terrific form until a hamstring injury suffered in the 4-1 win over Lincoln City confined him to the sidelines and the last few weeks have been spent working on his rehabilitiation.

But the former Chesterfield defender is now back to contest the left-back spot in what is shaping up to be an extraordinary battle to be a part of Nolan’s first team.

In Jones’ absence, Carl Dickinson has done a wonderful job in which he has arguably produced the best string of performances since joining the club last summer.

It has given Nolan an incredibly tough decision to make regarding who gets the nod to play left-back when they face Newport at Meadow Lane on Saturday.

But such is the camaraderie between the pair, both team-mates at Port Vale, Jones says the relationship they share has meant they continually push each other to great heights no matter who gets the nod.